This week heralds the return of visual kei circuit event, Shibuya ga Taihen. For those that aren’t familiar, Shibuya ga Taihen is an annual music circuit that took place from 2009-2011. This year’s even will take place August 10 and span across five clubs: Tsutaya O-EAST, Tsutaya O-WEST, Tsutaya O-NEST, Tsutaya O-CREST, and Shibuya MUSIC EXCHANGE. Thought the lineup has not yet been announced, it promises over 50 visual kei bands, so there’s bound to be a few you want to see.

RADWIMPS have announced an Asian/European tour starting in October. Starting October 9 in Seoul, South Korea, the tour is comprised of six stops, taking them to Germany, France, England and ending in Taipei, Taiwan. Check the homepage for venue information and more details.

DIR EN GREY have announced yet another tour starting this fall. Titled, “Never Free from the Awakening,” the tour starts September 10 at Kanagawa CLUB CITTA and runs through October 11 at Zepp Sapporo. This comes hot off of their current tour, THE UNSTOPPABLE LIFE, which will take them through Europe and Japan. Check the homepage for more dates and details.

You’ve probably already heard about BREAKERZ’s plan to host a free live for their comeback. Well, details have finally been announced. The live will be held at Yoyogi Koen Yagai stage on May 20. Entrance is completely free, so make sure to stop by if you’re in the area. You can also pick up their new single, We Go, while you’re there.

One for the Suck file, PLUS MAGIC have announced they will be ending all band activities after their live on June 9. They gave no reasoning for the breakup in their statement, simply apologizing for the sudden announcement. After only about a year together, they must just not be meant to be.

Side project of A9’s Tora and Shou, DIAWOLF have announced the release of their first album slated for July. Titled REBELLION, the album drops July 1 and the duo will hold a record release live at Shibuya Sound Museum VISION on July 5.

And, we’ll close things up, as usual, with a New…Thing…Alert. Ex members of recently disbanded group THE KIDDIE have announced a new project. Called GUTS AND DEATH, the group announced via their official YouTube channel that they will be releasing new material every day starting May 15 at 19:00 JST. Just what that material is has yet to be seen. Judging by their first video, it’s pizza related ^^

I was honestly surprised when I received this single in the mail… but I was overjoyed! I adore Sono’s voice and just the overall dynamic composition style that is Matenrou Opera.

On April 8, Matenrou Opera released their maxi-single, ether. The first thing I HAVE to note about this single is how cool the jacket is. The lyric booklet is actually sitting in the little holster that is the band (as you see above) and there is a moon that also separates and you slide in behind them, building it as a 3 layer pop-up book in a way. Not to mention, the CD is kept iridescent with white printing over the top.

This single features 3 awesome tracks:

1. ether

2. Round and Round

3. ari no koushin

Before I diagnose each song individually, I have to say I unfortunately was unable to find translated lyrics in order to discuss the lyrical content. If you happen to find any, feel free to tell me so I can look into them!

Also, you cannot necessarily judge this single as a whole, since the style changes from track to track. I feel this single has a little something for all of your tastes.

1) etherA very ethereal start to this single, which seems obvious considering the title is ‘ether’. The beginning draws you in with Sono’s beautifully echoed voice accompanied with violin and chimes. Then it gets down to business with a slightly crunchy, but still majestic, riff by the rest of the band. It picks up nicely into a symphonic rock pulse that Matenrou is no stranger to. The phrase “hikari no mukou e/to the other side of the light” is repeated throughout the song in the same echo style; as if Sono’s voice wasn’t angelic enough, now he is literally beckoning the listener in a heavenly call.

The whole song has the ebb and flow of a tide, with slight crunchy interruptions so you don’t actually get carried away. The guitar solo, which bleeds into a similar violin and synth bridge, Anzi and Ayame do not disappoint and provide fantastic support for yet another angelic style change. There is a majestic build with the same lyrical call (“hikari no mukou e”) into the final verse of the song.

Throughout, it has many falling actions with notes- Anzi, Ayame, and even Yo going at it while Yuu keeps pace. It fades out with Sono on a sustained note and the echo call continuing in silence for a bit, leaving the listening unsure of when it officially ends. Then suddenly you’re on to the next track.

2) Round and RoundWhile in ether Ayame’s synth isn’t that noticeable, it makes its presence known here, pulsing with what could feel like a sci-fi soundtrack riff right in the beginning. This song is pure classic rock to me. I feel like I’m listening to a modernized hair band… oh wait, I am! Well, maybe not to the degree as say Aerosmith, but you catch what I’m saying.

In short, I’d love to hear this played live. It has such a stadium presence that would be sure to be the most fun song of the night. I’m a sucker for a good synth and honestly, Ayame has stolen my heart in this song, Sono’s vocals being an easy second. In the chorus especially, Sono gets a bit rough with his voice, giving some bite to that angelic tone.

Mid-song (at about 2:35), there is a dramatic ‘downfall’ in tuning and tone before it is picked back up by Ayame’s synth and Anzi begins to shred. The bridge has an easy, steady headbang feel to it, thanks to the build from Yuu, before Sono just sustains the most gorgeous note that I didn’t want to end. But, it does and leads to the final chorus before the same dramatic downfall occurs once more, going more and more out of tune until the song ends in a slow death crawl. This is by far my favourite track on this single!

3) ari no koushinNow we enter the heavy rock anthem song! It may be closely related to “Round and Round” in musical style, but it is still so different. It starts out with an even rougher Sono and then Anzi brings it all in with a cool riff. Sono seems a bit more sensual in the way he is singing this time around. Throughout the verses, it’s only Sono, Yo, and Yuu with some occasional interjections by Ayame and Anzi that eventually build into the pre-chorus.

It keeps this pattern and feel up until about 2:09 where the bridge brings forth some layered vocal tracks that go by so fast and suddenly you’re back in another pre-chorus. This section is followed by a wonderfully executed (and super jazzy) back-and-forth between Anzi and Ayame with Yo and Yuu backing them up the entire time until finally, the group can’t take it anymore and they bust into a riff all together.

It ends with a sudden blip of sound, ending just as harsh as it began. Now, this song is my least favourite on the single, but it is far from horrible. For me, in looking at the other two, it just doesn’t compare in what I prefer.

And that is Matenrou Opera’s ether. I give it an A! While “ari no koushin” may be ranked 3rd out of my personal tastes on this single, I still found it enjoyable and hardly anything to take it down to a B. But maybe that’s also because “Round and Round” is a near A+++ rating for me. Either way: It’s a wonderful maxi-single that definitely deserves a listen! Especially if you love Sono’s vocals and some good synthesizer work like I do.

Hey, guys! I know I skipped a week, but….Welcome to Rockville happened ^^. I’m going to try not to beat you over the head with old news and just stick to the good stuff. There were TONS of new releases announced the last couple of weeks, so make sure to check that release calendar in the sidebar for updates. Here we go!

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas have announced an overseas show along with the worldwide release of their music via iTunes. The band will play Heart-Town Festival 2015 in Taiwan, which takes place August 7-9. iTunes sales start April 29 and will include all 7 of their releases to date. They also have a new limited single, titled ‘Starburst,’ releasing May 13 in two types.

BORN will be releasing a new mini-album, called Alternative Tarantula, on July 22 followed by a tour of the same name starting July 28 at Shibuya REX and running all the way through August 6. The final will be held at Akasaka BLITZ.

Codomo Dragon has announced the release of their second full-length album, Gekokujou, on July 8, followed by a one-man tour of the same name starting on July 10. The tour starts at Nagoya ELL and ends at Akasaka BLITZ on September 5.

Jupiter has announced the release of an as-yet unnamed single on August 26, followed by a one-man tour called Provenient Grace starting in September. The tour starts September 5 at Fukuoka Be-1 and runs through October 3 at Osaka MUSE with their tour final at Shinjuku RENY on October 17.

FACT has announced that, after 16 years together, they will be calling it quits at the end of the year. They did, however, tease some solo projects in their official statement and they will be holding a final one-man tour which will take them through the rest of this year. Check their homepage for details.

Girl-fronted screamo band, Dazzle Vision, have announced their breakup. It turns out the group had already decided on their breakup at the end of 2013. Their last live will take place in June. Keep an eye on their official page for more details.

Now that ViViD has officially disbanded, it’s time for the solo acts to begin, starting with guitarist Reno. Reno recently announced his first one-man show titled ‘Guitar Life’ to take place on his birthday, June 4 at Shibuya REX. I’m not really sure how a guitarist goes solo, but it should be interesting nonetheless.

Time for a super cool NEW BAND ALERT! Consisting of a couple of familiar faces, More includes ex-Gazette drummer, Yune, and ex-12012 bassist, En’ya, and has been playing secretly since April. They will make their official debut on June 25 at Takadanobaba AREA and will be releasing their first DVD, Hypno, the day before. Check out the preview. I dig it.

Right smack in the middle of their run with Nikki Sixx on SIXX:AM’s Modern Vintage tour, VAMPS made a quick stop in Florida to perform in Monster Energy’s Loudest Month series, rocking the stage during Ft. Rock in Ft. Meyers and Welcome to Rockville in Jacksonville. I caught up with Hyde and KAZ after their smoking set in Jacksonville on April 24 and, with the help of translator, Hiroki, chatted about touring with an American legend, performing in a foreign country and vampire evolution.

You guys have been playing a LOT lately. You’ve been very very busy. Do you do anything special to stay in shape, maintain your voice, anything like that?

H: We have kind of a hard time, of course. With the one man tour we get kind of tired, but everyday something new happens and it’s kind of refreshing.

Speaking of new things, Nikki Sixx recently played VAMPARK in Japan with you guys and now you are opening for him on his SIXX:AM Modern Vintage Tour. How did that come about?

H: Nikki knows that I’m a big fan of Motley Crue and Nikki Sixx. We recently had a big gig in Japan called VAMPARK Festival and we supported SIXX:AM and helped them get into the Japanese market. Now, we are with SIXX:AM because they are trying to give back for what we did for them.

Can we expect any kind of collaboration between you two in the future?

H: Well, KAZ might be doing something.

K: I can’t tell.

Me: Ohhhh. Secret?

K: Secret.

Festivals like this are always a very unique experience due to the wide range of fans in the audience. As a musician, how do you approach such a unique situation with so many different types of music fans in one place?

H: Well, in Japan, we are really big. Everyone knows about us and we’re treated really well. Like rockstar life. When we go outside of Japan, we are a totally new band. It feels like starting things from the beginning. This kind of situation reminds us of the beginning of things.

When you first started, did you ever think you would be playing in a place like this with 50,000 people?

H: Noooo.

K: When I started my music back in the day, everything I saw was on DVD on the screen. I thought, I wonder how it feels to be there. So, I imagined what it was like.

On this trip alone, if I’m not mistaken, you will be playing in every type of venue, from clubs to arenas, to festivals like this one. What’s your favorite type of venue to play in?

H: I like bigger places. Bigger the better.

Hiroki: Like Americans, eh? *laugh*

K: I like to play outside, but I don’t like it too hot.

Me: Florida is very hot.

K: Yes, very hot.

I know from experience how, when traveling or working in another country, you can sometimes feel like you’re on another planet. I know you guys have been here before, but is there anything that still confuses you or surprises you when you come here?

H: I’m surprised that there is a skiing place only two hours away from LA.

K: In the US, there are a lot of rock musicians. That surprises me because, in Japan, there aren’t a lot of rock musicians. It’s only pop. Not a lot of rock. When we come to places like this, it’s all rock.

Your latest album BLOODSUCKERS, has just been released internationally with lyrics recorded in English. You did the same thing with SEX BLOOD ROCK AND ROLL. Do you believe it will help your music reach a broader audience?

H: Singing in English is a better way to tap into the US market. When I sing in English in Japan, most of the fans can’t sing along. But here, I see the audience sing our songs in English. I like that. It feels like we are getting closer to the US audience.

You guys use a lot of vampire imagery in your look and music. What is it that draws you to this imagery?

H: I’ve always liked the whole concept of vampires. One day, I thought if vampires are performing on the stage, that would be great. That’s why we started.

The BLOODSUCKERS album combines this vampire imagery with another of my favorite thematic elements, pirates. These are two things that seem, at least to me, almost contradictory; the vampire representing something damned and the pirate representing freedom. What inspired you to bring the two together?

H: Because we would die! *laugh* We are vampires, obviously. But, we do evolve. We are standing here outside under the sun and we are still alive!

Several of your songs give a sort of vampire’s-eye view of humanity. Vampire Depression from your self-titled album, is a vampire’s frustration over the human condition while Vampire’s Love from BLOODSUCKERS is a vampire looking more longingly into the human world. Does this reflect a progression in your vampire’s world view?

H: From the point of view of a vampire, human beings are so complex. Sometimes there are a lot of paradoxes going on. Sometimes you are killing each other. So, it’s interesting seeing humans from a vampire’s point of view. That’s what the image is about.

Well, now that we’ve got the important ones out of the way, how about a few silly ones? If you weren’t a musician, what would you do?

K: Professional snowboarder.

Me: You skateboard, right?

K: Yes.

Hiroki: He’s really good at it!

H: I would work in a host club.

Hiroki: He would make a lot of money, right?

Me: Musician, host, same thing, right? *laugh*

Name three things you can’t survive without.

H: Sex, blood, rock and roll. *laugh*

If you could make music with any musician, living or dead, who would it be?

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Check out all our photos from VAMPS Universal International / Delicious Deli Records at Welcome To Rockville!!Part 1…